Container and cover assembly



y 1968 D. BERNSTEIN 3,384,263

CONTAINER AND COVER ASSEMBLY Filed Dec. 22, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG! INVENTOR BY 0... I I 15...: vix

ATTORNEYS y 968 D. BERNSTEIN 3,384,263

CONTAINER AND oov'ER ASSEMBLY Filed Dec. 22, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet t2 INVENTOR DAM/EL @GQMJTEM/ BY 5 D 4 5-3! v M ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,384,263 CONTAINER AND COVER ASSEMBLY Daniel Bernstein, 2 Horizon House, Fort Lee, NJ. 07024 Filed Dec. 22, 1966, Ser. No. 603,903 13 Claims. (Cl. 220-60) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A container assembly which includes a container and the cover therefor. The container is provided with arcuate ends and sidewalls convex in the horizontal plane, at least one concave indentation extending throughout the height of the container on each side, and a flange generally rectangular rim extending outwardly from the upper perimeter of the container. The outer perimeter of the rim depends downwardly thereby forming a lip with which portions of the cover engage to seal the container. A plurality of spaced fillets integral with the underside of the rim are disposed about the container and extend between and join the depending lip of the rim and the container body thereby imparting strength and rigidity to the rim portion of the container.

This invention relates to a new and improved container and cover assembly useful for packaging consumer products and the like.

In the past problems encountered with container and cover assemblies used in mass packaging of consumer goods such as dairy products and other perishable foods have included lack of strength and rigidity in the rim portion of the container which interferes with machine packaging and subsequent consumer use, improper sealing engagement between the cover and container, and inefiicient design for mass machine handling. It is the purpose of this invention to overcome these problems heretofore encountered and to provide a container and cover assembly adapted for efiicient filling and packaging and consumer handling.

It is an object of this invention to provide a plastic container and cover assembly with improved strength and rigidity. Another object of this invention is to provide a plastic container and cover which engage each other in sealing relationship when the container is filled with food stuffs.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide an improved plastic container and cover adapted for mass machine packaging of consumer goods such as perishable food products. It is a further object of this invention to provide plastic containers which may be placed in multiple stacked relationship within each other for eflicient machine handling without jamming or sticking together.

Another object of my invention is to provide a plastic container and cover assembly which is inexpensive and may be mass produced.

My invention contemplates the provision of a generally rectangular lower tub portion or container having integrally formed walls at the sides and ends shaped with curvature arcuately convex in the horizontal plane, and having at least one indentation concave in the horizontal plane throughout the vertical height along the sides in opposing juxtaposition to facilitate ease of handling and provide added rigidity to the container. It also contemplates provision of a container with an upper perimeter flanged to form a rim, reinforced by spaced fillets. My invention also contemplates providing stacking ribs at the four corners.

Another aspect of my invention contemplates the provision of a flat plastic cover with peripheral skirt to fur- 3,384,263 Patented May 21, 1968 ther reinforce the rim portion when the container and cover are assembled including an annular groove or ring therein formed to engage the rim of the container in sealing relationship, and including a finger tab to facilitate locking and removing the cover.

In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a container or tub portion and cover in separated relationship showing the orientation of the container-rim portion and the annular ring in the cover skirt before placement of the cover.

FIG. 2 is an elevation view of the cover as seen from its upper surface with finger tab or hand gripping portion extending from one end thereof.

FIG. 3 is an elevation view of the bottom of a container and cover in assembled relation, with stacking ribs positioned at each corner extending'downward from the rim.

FIG. 4 is a side elevation view of a container and cover in assembled relation, nested within a second container or tub portion illustrating operation of the stacking ribs during stacking.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary view of a corner of a container or tub portion as seen from the bottom showing the stacking rib, flanged rim portion, and reinforcing spaced fillets.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view along the line 6-6 in FIG. 4 of a portion of a container and cover in assembled relation showing a preferred cover construction in which the depending skirt of the cover extends below the flanged rim portion and illustrates sealing engagement of the flanged rim in the annular ring of the skirt.

FIG. 7 is another fragmentary sectional view of a container and cover in assembled relation with the rim and annular ring in sealing engagement and illustrating a cover construction in which the depending skirt of the cover does not extend below the annular ring which engages the flanged rim portion.

In the form of my invention illustrated in FIGS. 1-7 and referring particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2, I provide a plastic container or tub portion 1 having integrally formed vertical walls 2, a bottom portion 3, flanged rim portion 4 which imparts added strength to the container and provides locking means to engage the cover in sealing relationship when the cover is positioned on the container, and stacking ribs 5 which permit nesting of the containers one within the other without jamming or sticking. It will be noted that the integrally formed vertical walls are a-rcuately convex in the horizontal plane and include indentations concave in the horizontal plane throughout the vertical height on each side in opposing juxtaposition to impart added strength to the container and facilitate consumer handling. In addition I provide a plastic cover 6 having a peripheral skirt 7 including an annular ring or groove 8 to engage the flanged rim portion of the container, and a finger tab 9 to facilitate removal of the cover.

Referring more particularly to the container rim formed by the flanged upper perimeter of the container, the rim extends beyond the four corners and the con-cave impressions along the sides of the container body and is wider at these points as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. The outer edge of the rim therefore does not conform to the shape of the container body, but more closely approaches a rectangular shape. The ends and sides may be arcuately convex, however. The outer edge of the rim folds over into a depending lip 10 as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. At the points of closest approach between the outer rim lip 10 and the vertical container wall 2, intermediate the broad rim portions at the four corners and concave impressions along the sides of the container, plastic filler joins the lip 10 to the vertical wall 2 to provide spaced fillets 11, Which provide added rigidity to the rim and upper sur- 3 face of the container or tub portion, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 3.

FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate two forms of cover construction, and locking engagement of the cover and container when the cover is placed in position. The flanged rim 4 and depending lip of the container 1 and the annular ring or groove 8 in the peripheral skirt 7 of cover 6 are of such dimensions that pressure is required to place the cover in position over the container. As illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7 when the cover 6 is in position, the depending lip 10 of the container rim 4 is seated in pressure sealing relationship within the annular ring or groove 8 of the peripheral skirt 7 on the cover 6. It will be noted that in the preferred cover construction shown in FIG. 6, the peripheral skirt 7 on the cover 6 extending substantially below the depending lip 10 of rim 4 on the container portion. This longer skirt construction imparts added strength to the rim portion when the cover is in position, and also facilitates placement of the cover. In the shorter skirt construction shown in FIG. 7, the peripheral skirt 7 terminates at the annular ring or groove which engages the depending lip 10 of the container rim and does not extend below the internal annular ring as in the preferred cover construction shown in FIG. 6.

Stacking ribs 5 extend downwardly from the rim 4 flush with the vertical sides 2 of the container portion at each of the corners as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5. The stacking ribs extends below the depending lip of the rim and terminate in a flat horizontal lower surface, so that when one container is placed inside another the Hat horizontal lower surface of the stacking ribs 5 rest on the rim 4 of the lower container as pictured in FIG. 4. In this way the containers may be stored in a minimum of space but be readily available for machine packaging without jamming or sticking. The container and cover may be constructed from suitable plastic materials such as polyethylene, polystyrene, polypropylene and other thermoplastics. Preferably the container or tub portion is made of a higher density polymer than the cover so that it has rigidity and strength while the cover is made of a relatively low density polymer or co-polyrner material so that it is more flexible.

To provide an attractive consumer package, the relatively high density polymer used in the container or tub portion may be mixed with a pigment such as titanium dioxide to yield an opaque plastic while the cover may be translucent.

It is also important that the plastic employed in the container or tub portion on the one hand and the cover on the other hand have the same relative coeflicient of expansion and contraction so that a proper seal between the cover and container is maintained when the assembly is subjected to temperature changes. It should be noted that the container and cover do not provide a vacuum seal, but a pressure seal. When the container is empty the central portion of the annular ring along the length of the peripheral skirt on the cover are somewhat displaced away from the rim portion of the tub. When a consumer product such as butter or margarine is placed in the container or tub portion, the container rim will be forced outwardly to complete the seal between the container and cover as illustrated in FIG. 3.

I claim:

1. A container and cover combination which comprises a container or tub portion of generally rectangular shape having integrally formed walls at the ends and sides shaped with curvature arcuately convex in the horizontal plane and having at least one indentation concave in the horizontal plane throughout the vertical height along each side of the container to impart rigidity and facilitate handling, said container or tub portion also having the upper perimeter of the walls flanged to form a rim of varying width said rim being formed at its outer perimeter with a depending lip; a plurality of spaced fillets integral with the underside of the rim disposed about the container and extending between and joining the depending lip of the rim and the container body to impart strength and rigidity to the rim portion of the container; a cover complementary in shape to the outer edge of the rim of the container having a peripheral skirt with an annular ring formed therein so that the depending lip of the container rim may engage the annular ring in pressure sealing relationship when the cover is positioned on the container.

2. A container and cover combination as set forth in claim 1 in which the container or tub portion is made of a relatively high density polymer plastic and the cover portion is made of relatively low density polymer plastic.

3. A container and cover combination as set forth in claim 1 in which the container and cover are made from plastic materials having the same relative coeflicient of expansion and contraction.

4. A cover and container as set forth in claim 1 in which the container and cover are made from a thermoplastic.

5. A container and cover combination as set forth in claim 1 in which the container and cover are made from plastic materials selected from the group consisting of polyethylene, polystyrene and polypropylene.

6. A cover and container combination as set forth in claim 1 in which the peripheral skirt of the cover extends below the annular ring formed therein to provide added strength and rigidity.

7. A cover and container combination as set forth in claim 1 in which stacking ribs extend downwardly from the rim of the container or tub portion along the container body to permit stacking of the containers without jamming or sticking.

8. A cover and container combination as set forth in claim 1 in which the cover has an extending finger tab to facilitate placement and removal.

9. A container and cover combination as set forth in claim 1 in which the depending lip of the container rim is forced outwardly to form a pressure seal with the annular ring in the peripheral skirt of the cover when the tub portion is filled with a consumer product, and the cover positioned on the container.

10. A container with improved strength and rigidity which comprises; a tub portion of gene-rally rectangular shape having integrally formed walls at the ends and sides thereof shaped with curvature arcuately convex in the horizontal plane and having at least one indentation concave in the horizontal plane throughout the vertical height along the sides of the container to impart rigidity and facilitate handling said container and also having the upper perimeter of the walls flanged to form a generally straight sided rectangular rim of varying width said rim being formed at its outer perimeter with a depending lip; and a plurality of spaced fillets integral with the underside of the rim disposed about the container at the regions of closest approach of the outer perimeter of the rim to the container body and extending between and joining the depending lip of the rim and the container body to impart rigidity and strength to the rim portion of the container.

11. A container with improved strength and rigidity as set forth in claim 10 in which stacking ribs extend downwardly from the rim along the container body to permit stacking of the containers without jamming or sticking.

12. A container with improved strength and rigidity which comprises; a tub portion of generally rectangular shape having integrally formed walls at the ends and sides thereof and having at least one indentation concave in the horizontal plane throughout the vertical hegiht along the sides of the container to impart rigidity and facilitate handling said container also having the upper perimeter of the walls flanged to form a rim of varying width said rim being formed at its outer perimeter with a depending lip; and a plurality of spaced fillets integral with the underside of the rim and disposed about the container at the regions of closest approach of the outer perimeter 5 6 of the rim to the container body and extending between References Cited and joining the depending lip of the rim to the container body so as to impart rigidity and strength to the rim por- UNITED STATES PATENTS tion of the container. 2,561,022 7/ 1951 Jones.

13. A container with improved strength and rigidity as 5 3,077,284 2/ 1963 McLaughlin 22O60 set forth in claim 12 in which stacking ribs extend down- 3,104,776 9/ 1963 Bostrom 220-92 wardly from the rim along the container body to permit stacking of the containers without jamming or sticking. JAMES B. MAR-BERT, Primary Examiner. 

